Ratchet mechanism



March 19, 1935.

E. "M. PFAUSER ET AL RATCHET MECHANISM Filed Dec. 5, 1931 5522mm M52702Patented Mar. 19, 1935 aa'rcna'r MECHANISM Edward M. Planner and SigmundMandl,,Milwaukee, Wia, assignors to Blackhawk Manufacturing Company,Milwaukee, Wis.

Application December 5, 1931, Serial No. 579,247

This invention pertains to tools, and more particularly to what istermed a ratchet handle for use in connection with wrench sockets, screwdrivers, bits, and the like, wherein reversible, intermittent rotarymovement is desired.

Conventional ratchet handles at the present time employ either manuallyoperable dogs carried by the handle, or a shiftable tool shank forobtaining reverse action on the tool. This requires an extremely bulkyand cumbersome structure, which is objectionable inasmuch as handles ofthis type must be used frequently in confined,

restricted spaces.

It is therefore primarily the object of the present invention toovercome the foregoing objections by the provision of an exceedinglycompact, inexpensive and durable ratchet handle, in which a pair ofopposed shiftable dogs are constantly engaged with the ratchet andmanipulated by means rotatably carried on a dog retaining member.

Incidental to the foregoing, a more specific object resides in theprovision of a handle having an internal ratchet, constantly engaged bya pair of oppositely disposed dogs carried by a tool shank rotatablyassociated with the handle, said dogs being manipulated by meansrotatably mounted on the tool shank.

A further object resides in the novel unitary means provided for bothurging the dogs into engagement with the ratchet and retaining them inadjusted position.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawing is illustrated one complete example of thephysical embodiment of the present invention constructed according to pthe best mode so far devised for the practical application of theprinciples thereof.

' H In the drawing:

' Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a Figure 4 is a transversesection taken on the line 44 of Figure 1, and

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the handle.

While the present invention has been illustrated and will be explainedin connection with a ratchet handle particularly designed for wrenchsockets, it is to be understood that the principle of the invention hasvarious and numerous applications to tools of many types, and otherdevices, wherein it is desired to impart reversible, intermittent,rotary movement.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, the numeral1 designates a handle provided with an annular head 2 having internalratchet teeth 3. Rotatably associated with the head 2 is a toolreceiving shank 4, which, in the present instance, is designed forreception of conventional wrench sockets (not shown), the same beingdetachably secured on the shank by means of the spring plunger 5.

The shank 4 is provided with an annular flange 6 positioned within theshouldered recess 7 provided in the head 2, and extending inwardly fromthe flange 6 is a head 8 provided with spaced parallel grooves 9disposed upon opposite sides of the axis of the head. Slidably mountedwithin the grooves 9 are opposed dogs 10 adapted to selectively engagethe ratchet teeth 3, upon either side of a transverse diametrical linethrough the head 2.

As best shown in Figure 1, the dogs 10 are urged into engagement withthe ratchet teeth 3 by means of an expansible member 11, which comprisesa plunger 12 engaged with one of the dogs and telescopically carried inthe sleeve 13 which engages the opposite dog. An expansile spring 14serves to urge the plunger and sleeve to projected position.

As best shown in Figure 4, the head 8 is provided with a centralprojection 15 terminating in a threaded shank 16. The projection 15 isprovided with a transverse slot 1'7 in which the expansible member isretained. Due to the fact that the slot 17 is cut out on opposite sidesof the projection 15, as shown in Figure 1, it will be obvious that theexpansible member 11 may be rotated about the axis of the head to permitengagement of the dogs with the ratchet teeth in their adjusted positionwithin the head 8.

In order to rotatably retain the head 8 within the head 2, a retainerplate 18 is mounted on the threaded stud 16 and held against rotation bya pin 19 which projects into the central extension 15. The retainerplate 18 is positioned within the shouldered recess 20, and, as bestshown in Figure 4, cooperates with the flange 6 to retain the head 8 inassembled position within the handle. Secured upon the outer end of thethreaded shank 16 is an actuating plate 21 having its outer face knurledor serrated at 22 to facilitate manual rotation of the same. The plate21, which abuts the retaining plate 18, is looked upon the stud 16 bymeans of a nut 23, which, as illustrated in Figure 5, may be upset toprevent undesired detachment of the plate 21.

The plate 18, as best shown in Figure 2, is provided with oppositelydisposed arcuate slots 24 for reception of the pins 25 carried by theactuating disc 21. As best illustrated in Figure 3, the tops of the dogs10 are provided with transverse slots 26, which also receive the pins25. Thus, as the disc 21 is oscillated on the stud 15, the pins 25,engaged in the slots 26 in the tops of the dogs 10, will cause thelatter to be shifted transversely in the head 8, and obviously the samewill be retained in their shifted position by means of the expansiblemember 11, which also urges the dogs into operative engagement with theratchet teeth 3.

In operation, with the dogs 10 in engagement with ratchet teeth 3 asshown in Figs. 1 and 3, clockwise movement of the handle 1 will resultin a similar movement being imparted to the tool receiving shank 4.Reverse 01' anti-clockwise movement of the shank 1 will result in thedogs 10 being moved inwardly against the tension of the spring 14,thereby causing the engaged ends of the dogs to slip or ride over theratchet teeth 3.

From the foregoing explanation taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, it will be readily seen that an extremely simple and compactratchet handle has been provided, which materially reduces the bulb andsize of conventional ratchet handles, thus permitting the same to beutilized in an exceedingly restricted space. A further advantage of thepresent invention results from the fact that two opposed dogs arecontinuously engaged with the ratchet teeth, thus materially increasingthe rigidity of the structure and equalizing one another in operativeengage-' ment, the dogs being disposed upon opposite sides of the axisof the ratchet.

Furthermore, it will be readily-seen that an.

extremely simple method of reversing operative engagement of the handlehas been provided, in that it is merely necessary to rotate the. disc 21to effect shifting of the dogs in a reverse direction. This operation isreadily accomplished, in that the shouldered nut 23 prevents-any bindbetween the disc 21 and the retaining plate 18.

Therefore, it is merely necessary to overcome the tension oftheexpansible'member 11, until such time as the same is shifted pastcenter,

which then causes the dogs to be snapped into operative engagement withthe ratchet teeth 3 for actuation of the toolshank in'the'oppositedirection.

While the accompanying drawing illustrates I the ratchet member servingas the handle, and

the dog-carrying shank, as a tool receiving memvary the relativeposition of the dogs so that when one dog is engaged the opposite dogwill be positioned intermediate a pair of ratchet teeth.

We claim: 1

1. A ratchet mechanism comprising a ratchet member, a shank rotatablyassociated with the ratchet member, a pair of opposed spring-urged dogscarried by said shank and simultaneously engaged with said ratchetmember, and rotatable means for shifting said dogs to simultaneouslyreverse the operative engagement between both of said dogs and theratchet member.

2. A ratchet mechanism including an annular head provided with internalratchet teeth, a tool shank rotatably connected with said head, a pairof opposed dogs slidably mounted in said tool shank, an expansiblemember urging said dogs into simultaneous operative engagement in thesame arcuate direction with said ratchet teeth, and means rotatablyconnected with said tool shank for shifting both of said dogs tosimultaneously reverse their operative engagement with said ratchetteeth.

3. A ratchet mechanism comprising a head having internal ratchet teeth,a tool shank rotatably connected to said head and provided with spacedparallel grooves, a dog slidably mounted in each of said grooves forengagement with said ratchet teeth at either end of the groove,resilient means for urging the dogs into operative engagement with saidratchet teeth, and means for shifting said dogs in said grooves toreverse their op-' erative engagement with said ratchet teeth.

4. A ratchet mechanism comprising a head having internal ratchet teeth,a tool shank rotatably connected to said head and provided with spacedparallel grooves, a dog slidably mounted in each of said grooves forengagement with said ratchet teeth at either end of the groove,resilient means for urging the dogs into operative engagement with saidratchet teeth, and a disc rotatably mounted on to said tool shank forshifting said dogs in said grooves.

5. A ratchet i'mechanism comprising a head having internal ratchetteeth, a tool shank rotatablyconnected to said head and'provided withspaced-parallel grooves, a dog slidably mounted in each of said groovesfor engagement with said ratchet teeth at either end of the groove,resilient means for urging the dogs into operative engagement with saidratchet teeth, means for shifting said .dogs in said grooves to reversetheir operative engagement with said ratchet teeth, comprising a platestationarily connected with said tool shank and provided with arcuateslots, a disc rotatably connected with-said tool shank, and. pinscarried by said-plate and projecting through said arcuate slots forengagement with said dogs to shift the same in their grooves.

6."A ratchet mechanism comprising a head, a tool shank rotatablyconnected thereto, one of said members being provided with a single setof ratchet'teeth, a spring-urged dog carried by the other of saidmembers, and movable means car ried by said head and engaging said dogcarrying member for longitudinally shifting said dog to engage itsopposite ends in different portions of the ratchet to reverse theoperative engagement between said dog and ratchet.

7. A ratchet mechanism comprising a head, a tool shank rotatablyconnected thereto, one of said members being provided with a single setof ratchet teeth, a spring-urged dog shiftably carried by the other ofsaid members and provided at its opposite ends with opposed workingfaces, 7|

and movable means associated with the dog for longitudinally shiftingthe same to engage different portions of said ratchet.

8. A ratchet mechanism comprising a head, a

5 tool shank rotatably connected thereto, one of said members beingprovided with a single set of ratchet teeth, a shiftable dog carried bythe other of said members, and oscillatory means carried by the head andengaging said dog for longitudinally shifting the latter to engage itsopposite ends in different portions 01' said ratchet.

EDWARD M. PFAUSER. SIGMUND MANDL.

